Benedict Arias Maralit

• PhD Applied Marine Biotechnology
• Research Support Specialist at Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University

We report the sequencing and analysis of 60 XBC and 114 XBC.1 SARS-CoV-2 lineages detected in the Philippines from August to September 2022, which are regarded as recombinant lineages of the BA.2 Omicron and B.1.617.2 Delta (21I Clade) variants. The sequences described here place the Philippines as the country with the earliest and highest number o...

The Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant led to a dramatic global epidemic wave following detection in South Africa in November, 2021. The Omicron lineage BA.1 was dominant and responsible for most SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks in countries around the world during December 2021-January 2022, whilst other Omicron lineages including BA.2 accounted for the minority of g...

Infectious hypodermal and hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHHNV) is a World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)-classified notifiable crustacean disease. There is limited information on the current status of IHHNV in the Philippines. Thus, this research focuses on collecting samples from various municipality markets of known shrimp producers in Cent...

We report here the draft genome sequences of two Streptomyces isolates, namely, UNOB3_S3 and UNOC14_S4, obtained from volcanic soils in Albay, Philippines. The genome assemblies comprised 7.63 Mb and 8.24 Mb, respectively. Genome mining revealed genes and biosynthetic gene clusters that encode putative insecticidal products.

We report the sequencing and detection of 36 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) samples containing lineage-defining mutations specific to viruses belonging to the B.1.1.7 lineage in the Philippines.

We report the sequencing and detection of 39 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) samples containing lineage-defining mutations specific to viruses belonging to the B.1.1.7 lineage (UK variant) in the Philippines.

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern such as the B.1.1.7, B.1.351 and the P.1 have prompted calls for governments worldwide to increase their genomic biosurveillance efforts. Globally, quarantine and outbreak management measures have been implemented to stem the introduction of these variants and to monitor any emerging variants of poten...

At the start of the pandemic, the Philippines had to send swab samples to the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory in Melbourne, Australia for COVID-19 confirmation. With the increasing number of suspected cases needing confirmatory diagnostic testing, there was a demand to rapidly expand the capacity for widescale testing. Remarkably...

The spread of the corona virus around the world has spurred travel restrictions and community lockdowns to manage the transmission of infection. In the Philippines, with a large population of overseas Filipino contract workers (OFWs), as well as foreign workers in the local online gaming industry and visitors from nearby countries, the first report...

While Vibrio parahaemolyticus (VPAHPND) has been identified as the cause of early mortality syndrome (EMS) or acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) in shrimp, mechanisms of host response remain unknown. Understanding these processes is important to improve farming practices because this understanding will help to develop methods to enhanc...

While toxin-harboring Vibrio parahaemolyticus has been previously established as the causative agent of early mortality syndrome (EMS) or acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) in shrimp, information on the mechanistic processes that happen in the host during infection is still lacking. Here, we examined the expression responses of the shr...

Christmas tree worm is the common name of a group of colorful serpulid polychaetes from the genus Spirobranchus that are symbionts of hermatypic corals. As is increasingly common with reef-associated organisms, Spirobranchus is arranged as a complex of species with overlapping geographic ranges. Current species delimitations based largely on opercu...

The study of population genetics, or genetics as a whole, has always been limited in terms of experimental design and strategy. A lot of early problems have been attributed to lack of available data for analysis. The discovery of next generation methodologies has revolutionized molecular data collection and thus, opening endless opportunities to st...

Injection of shrimp with non-specific double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) of diverse lengths, sequences, and base compositions is known to induce non-specific immunity and protect against lethal disease, although the mechanisms are unclear. Previous shrimp studies examined the effects of non-specific RNA on particular pathways, while their global effects h...

S hrimp disease outbreaks in the Philippines remain to be uncontrollable. This is compounded by the inac-cessibility of disease diagnostics to most shrimp farmers. The loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a new technology that is used as a practi-cal alternative for rapid detection of viral and bacterial patho-gens. The method proves to...

There is increased interest in the development of virus-resistant or improved shrimp stock because production is currently hindered by outbreaks and limited understanding of shrimp defense. Recent advancement now allows for high-throughput molecular studies on shrimp immunity. We used next-generation sequencing (NGS) coupled with suppression subtra...

Because there are currently no effective chemicals or drugs to completely treat bacterial andviral diseases, effective means of prevention such as early detection methods are continuously beingexplored and fully exhausted. Over the past few years, we have seen the development of cutting edgetechnologies to specifically and efficiently detect White...

Aside from "Ludong" or President’s fish (probably Cestraeus plicatilis), "Pigek" is also known in the Philippines as a delectable, highly priced and rare freshwater fish. Early reports indicate that "Pigek" is of the species Mesopristes cancellatus and popularly believed to only be found in Rio Grande de Mindanao, Tamontaka River, and Pulangi River...

Great losses caused by white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) in shrimp culture have been attributed to poor screening procedures in farms and the lack of sufficient access to specific pathogen free brood stock. Thus, early detection of the virus is considered the best option for shrimp farmers. The study, thus, assessed viral incidence in the Philippine...

The Philippine shrimp culture industry was once touted as a "sunshine" industry in the country and was among the top 3 shrimp producers in the world. Because of the White Spot Virus (WSV) in the early 1990's, the industry collapsed and never recovered eversince. Three key factors have been identified in order to revive it including 1) the culture o...